In diagnosing and treating certain medical conditions, such as potentially cancerous tumors, it is often medically desirable to remove a tissue mass. For example, during a biopsy a specimen of suspicious tissue may be removed for pathological examination and analysis, and in a lumpectomy a suspicious mass is removed from a patient's breast to preclude spread of malignant tissue. Tissue that is removed during a biopsy, lumpectomy, or other procedure may include all or part of the identified tissue mass, and may also include a surrounding margin of healthy tissue. In order to minimize bleeding, trauma to the patient, and for cosmetic reasons, the path through which the biopsy instrument passes into a patient's body is preferably a small one. However, in order to collect enough tissue to allow for a proper diagnosis, or to insure that no malignant tissue remains within a patient's body, it is often desirable to remove a mass of tissue that is wider than the entry path. In many cases removal of this large tissue mass requires further trauma to the patient, including cutting or tearing the skin and tissue of the patient in order to enlarge the exit path for removal of the tissue.
Accordingly, devices and methods for removing a tissue specimen without cutting or causing unnecessary additional trauma to the patient are desired.